Acid rain in Canada and New England has caused hundreds of lakes to be devoid of fish, and in some cases, any life at all.

Impact on Forest

In New England and the southern Appalachians, millions of acres of high elevation forests have been devastated (by acid rain.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, the main precursors of acid rain, have been steadily decreasing in the United States due to clean air legislation and strict emission limits.

Impact on Humans and Structures

Inhaling dry sulfate and nitrate particles appears to increase the occurrence of respiratory illnesses, such as asthma. Buildings and monuments made of limestone and marble break down when exposed to acid rain. The paint on homes and automobiles is likewise degraded.

Damage is decreased because of efforts to reduce chemicals that contribute to acid rain.

Conclusions from article and graph.

Acid rain emissions are trending downward.

Using less fossil fuels and capturing or converting the pollutants might help reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

Two people with the same genes can be different. Scientists attribute this to nature (genes) and nurture (lifestyle & environment). A third force affecting overall welfare, a bridge between nature and nurture, is epigenetics.

Epigenetics are heritable changes in gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. Chemical reactions due to environmental exposures influence how genes are turned on or off (strengthened or weakened).

Discordant diseases in identical twins have different DNA methylation on certain genes.

Anxiety and calmness can be created by injecting or removing methyl groups with drugs. Epigenetic medicines could correct or reverse disorders.

Questions to Consder

How does epigenetics affect transcription and translation?

Methyl group attachment prevents transcription and the gene can not translate.

A parent should allow nature and apply nurture but the environment always holds a trump card – and its blowin’ in the wind. Class mates and food takes can grab your tikes by the genes and never let go. It’s no wonder non-twins from the same parents with the more or less same nature and nurture grow up to become so different when you consider all of the environmental factors which are out of the parents control and growing, literally, out of control.